Warp stop motion



Patented Dec. 3, 1929 UNT STATES PATENT HERBERT A. WHITIN, OF VORGESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGOR TO CROMPTON c KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS VARP STOP MOTION Application Ied January 5, 1929. Serial No. 330,645.

This invention relates to improvements in warp stop motions for looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide an electrical control for the type of warp stop motion shown in patent to Regan No. 1,265,112.

In the type of warp stop motion shown in the above patent there are provided a plurality of non-circular detector rods which oscillate about their axes and pass through slots in drop wires. The upper ends of the slots are restricted so that when a drop wire falls into engagement with the corresponding' detector rod the latter will be held against oscillation. A yielding` driving mechanism for the drop wire thereupon changes its relation with respect to the other parts of the motion and lo-om stoppage is effected through some form of mechanical device usually in the form of that shown in patent to Holmes No.

The mechanical connections between the warp stop motion and the loom stopping mechanism are likely to vary with practically f every type of loom and it is an important part of my present invention to introduce between the oscillating detector rods and the loom stopping mechanism an electrical control which will be readily adaptable to a large variety of types of looms.

It is a further object of my present invention to effect oscillation of the detector rods through an electrical yieldablc unit by a force derived from some regularly moving part Iof the loom such as the lay. So long as the warp is in proper condition the unit will move as a whole but when a fault occurs in the warp so as to arrest oscillation of one or more of the detector rods the unit will undergo a change, the yielding element thereof moving with respect to other parts of the unit to close an electrical circuit. I do not wish to be limited to the particular method whereby the loom may be stopped upon the closing of an electric circuit, but have shown herein one form which will be operative while the lay is mov ing rearwardly to stop the loom.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combinationand arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set forth,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a loom showing my invention applied thereto, parts being broken away for the sake of clearness,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the driving unit for the warp stop motion, partly in section,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section through the banks of drop wires shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on lines 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1 l have shown a loom frame and a lay L vwhich reciprocates in the usual manner back and forth toward and from a shipper handle 11.

The latter is fastened to the loom frame as at 13 and is made of some resilient material, such as spring steel. When the loom is running the top part ofthe shipper handle by its own resilience is held in a notch 1e formed in a plate 15 secured to the loom frame. VJ hen said handle is dislodged either manually or by some mechanical means stoppage of the loom is effected in a well known manner.

The warp stop motion comprises a lined head 2O in which is mounted for oscillation a plurality of non-circular detector rods 21. Said rods are driven by arms 22 which are connected together by'a common link 23.

The drop wires D have slots 2% in their upper ends through which the rods 21 extend. The upper end of each slot is restricted as and of such form as to engage and prevent oscillation of the corresponding detector rod when a drop wire is in lower position. The drop wire is provided with a` surface 26 which rests on the warp thread WV as it is drawn over separator bars 27, from beam B.

The lay is provided with a bunter 30 adapted for engagement with a notched knock-oil element 3l held in adjusted longitudinal position along a rod 32. The latter is bent at its forward end as at 38 to lie in front of the shipper-handle ll, and at its rearward end is bent as at 34 downwardly a sufficient amount to overbalance the forward offset. Said rod is mounted to move rearwardly, and its rearward end to beraised slightly by an electromagnet to effect stoppage of the loom as will be described hereinafter.

The matter thus far described is of common construction and it is Ito be understood that so long as all the warp threads lV are in proper condition the drop wires will all be raised, the detector rodsbeing below the restricted upper ends 25 of the slots 24. lWhen a warp thread becomes broken or slack, however, thevcorresponding drop wire will fall so that the-restricted slot 25 thereof will engage the associated detector rod and arrest movement of thelatt-er. It is this inability of one or more of thedetector rods to oscillate in the normal way which acts in the sof called Regan warp `stop motion previously mentioned to stop-the loom, and the same general principle is employed in mypresent invention.

In carrying my invention into effect I provide means for yieldingly driving arms 22 to cause normal oscillation of the detector rods 2l. A unit designated generally at U andy shown more particularly in vF ig. 2 comprises a hollow box-like structure 40 made of insulating material such as bakelite or hard rubber. One side of the box has a removable cover 4l to prevent dirt, lint, etc., from entering the box and to confine any sparks which might be caused by contacting surfaces within the box. A regularly moving actuator rod 42 extends through the box, projecting throughboth ends thereof; Acollar 43 is secured in adjusted longitudinal position on the rod 42 in front of the box and there is interposed between saidcollar and the-box a-compression spring 44. A second collar 46 is secured to therear end of the rod 42 and there is located between said latter collar and the box a compressionspring 4 vThe springs 44 and 47 are approximately equal in theforce they exert and constitute means whereby `movement of the rod 42 may i otally connected to the collar 48, thereby causing rearward movement of the rod 42 when the lay is on its backward stroke.

Located within the bor; is a sleeve 50 having a flange 5l against which is normally pressed a washer 52 by a compression spring 53. The latter bears against a washer 54 of insulating material and the sleeve 50 is also of insulated material so that the spring and washer are insulated from the rod 42. A collar 55 is mounted on the end of the sleeve opposite the flange 5l and acts to place the washer 54 and conline the spring 53, being secured thereon by screw 55a. Said screw extends through the sleeve to the rod 42 and secures said sleeve to the rod.

A contact member 55 having depending ,arms 57 located on opposite sides of the contacting washer 52 is secured to the upper portion of thebox l40 by a screw 58.

The washer 52 is electrically connected by wire 59 to screw 60 and the latter is electrically connected by wire tll to battery l). The contact member 57 is electrically connected by mea; s of screw 58 and wire 62 to an electroinagnct secured to the loom frame and held in position to raise the knock-off rod 22 when energized. A wirel 63 connects the other side of the battery P to the magnet.

During each rearward stroke of the lay the.

spring will be subjected to compression but will resist deformation so long as the box structure 40 and link 23 are free to move rearwardly. T his condition will exist on each rearward stroke of the lay so long as the warp is intact.

As soon as a warp fault occurs, however, so hat one of the drop wires D falls into holding engagement with the corresponding detcctor rod 2l the link 23 will not be permitted to move throughout its full normal stroke and by the connection between said link and the boxv the latter and therefore the Contact element 57 will be held stationary. The rod 42, however, being connected to `the lay will continue to move rearwardly, `the spring 44 'eing compressed and the sleeve 50 together with the parts associated therewith being" moved to the right with the rod 42 as viewed in Fig. 2. During this rearward or right hand movement of the rod 42 the contacting washer 52 will come in contact with one of the arms 57, whereupon current will iio'w from the battery P over wire 63 electromagnet M, wire 62, screw 58, contact element 56, washer 52 spring 59 and screw 6G and back to the battery by wire 6l. Current flowing Under normalV ruiming conditions thel including two on this circuit will energize the magnet M to cause the lat-ter to attract the magnetic material C on the rod 32 to lift the latter. It is to be understood that this circuit is closed and the contact member 31 raised to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1 before the lay reaches the limit of its rearward movement. rEhe bunter 3() will therefore engage the knock-oit element 31 to move the rod and therefore the bent end 33 thereof rearwardly to dislodge the shipper handle 11 from the notch 14 to stop the loom.

During the interval between the closing ot the previously traced circuit and the actual stopping oi the rearward movement of the lay the rod 42 will continue to move rearwardly and it is to prevent undue pressure between the contacting surfaces within the box structure 40 that I provide the spring 53. It will be understood from Fig. 2 that as the rod 42 continues to move rearwardly after the circuit has been completed the contacting washer 52 will slide along the sleeve 50 against the action of spring 58. In this way the electric contacts are relieved of any strain subsequent to contact between the washer 52 and one of the arms 57. It will also be seen that the washer 54 acts to insulate the spring 53 trom the collar 55 and screw 55a which holds the sleeve to the rod 42.

It is to be understood that I am not to be limited to the particular form of knock-ottl mechanism shown herein and that it will be sufficient for the purposes ot my present invention to etlect stoppage of the loom upon the mal-:ing of contact between the contacting elements of opposite polarity conlined within the boi: 40.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a power transmitting element for a warp stop motion wherein a force derived from some moving part ot the loom is transmitted through a yieldable device to the warp stop motion and that when a warp `fault occurs the device yields to close a circuit the eltcct of which is to stop the loom. It will further be seen that the circuit closing elements are all coniined within a small housing which is supported by the rod 43 and the link 28.

Having thus described my invention it will be apparent. that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ot the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a warp stop motion having a detector rod tree to oscillate normally but held against oscillation when a fault in the warp occurs, a regularly moving member, knockoi mechanism to stop the loom, means comprising a yielding driving connection between the member and the rod, said means relatively movable parts vwhich are normally stationary with respect ping position to be. actuated upon relativemovement of said members. Y

2. In a warp stop motion having a detector rod free to oscillate normally but held against oscillation when a fault in the warp occurs, aregularly moving member, knock-oli mechanism to stop the loom, an electro-magnetic element to move the loom stopping mechanism to stopping position, a pair of relatively7 movable devices which are stationary with respect to each other under normal conditions and movable with respect to each other when the rod is held against normal movement, and means effective upon a relative movement of said parts to energize the electromagnetic element.

8. In a warp stop motion lia-ving a detector rod tree to oscillate normally but held against oscillation when a fault in the warp occurs, a regularly moving member, knock-olf mechanism to stop the loom, an electro-magnetick element to move the loom stopping mechanism to stopping position, a pair of relatively movable elements interposed between the detector rod and the member, yielding means normally holding said parts stationary with respect to each other and causing said parts to move with respect to the loom but without relative movement with respect to each other when the detector rod is held against movement to cause relative movement between said parts, and means effective upon a relative movement of said parts to energize the electro-magnet.

4. In a warp stop motion for a loom having a detector rod normally free to oscillate about its axis but held against such oscillation upon occurrence of a warp fault, loom-stopping mechanism, an electro-magnetic device to control said mechanism, a regularly moving actuator member, a driven member operatively connected to the detector rod, a yielding connection between the regularly moving actuator member and the driven member normally effective to communicate motion to the detector rod without causing relative movement between the normally moving member and the driven member, said driven member being held against movement with respect to the normally moving member when a warp fault occurs, and means to actuate the electro-magnetic device when said driven member is held against movement with the normally moving member.

5. In a warp stop motion for a loom having a detector rod normally free to oscillate about its axis but held against such oscillation upon occurrence of a warp fault, loom stopping mechanism, an electro-magnetic device to control said mechanism, a regularly moving actuating member, a driven member operaing '.fdevice between sai@u fmembers .normally `effective fto cause"isaidrmembersto move t0- etherwsaid men'lbersfhavin' @relative movement f With Irespect f-to ke'neh other when a fault occurs in the Warp,an'dmeans effective when relative movementlitakes .place 'between said members to energize @the electrma'gnetic device.

lIn testimony whereof I havev hereunto affixed my signature.

v yHERBER'IY A. 'WHITIN 

